Method for dephasing textured yarn



Dec. 15, 1970 c. P. MAZZONE 3,546,744

METHOD FOR DEPHASING TEXTURED YARN Filed March 27, 1968 INVENTOR. F3933 CHARLES P. MAZZONE FW.1 BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,546,744 METHOD FOR DEPHASING TEXTURED YARN Charles P. Mazzone, Dover, N.J., assignor to J. P. Stevens & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 716,533 Int. Cl. D02g 1/00 US. CI. 19-65 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a method for dephasing a textured yarn. The method comprises the steps of running a multifilament textured yarn between the surfaces which are themselves in relative motion in the same direction as the running yarn, at least a component thereof being parallel to the axis of the running yarn under a tension ranging from 0.01 to 0.10 gram per denier and under a pressure sufiicient to cause the two surfaces to bear resiliently upon the running yarn so as to effect intermittent separation of random short lengths of individual filaments from a main core of said yarn whereby the separated filaments are looped, curled or convoluted so as to project from the said same main core of yarn,

This invention relates to textured yarn comprising synthetic linear polymers. In one aspect this invention relates to a method for improving the bulkiness of multifilament synthetic textured yarns.

During the last decade, the employment of synthetic linear polymer yarn, notably polyamide yarn and later polyester yarn, in various textile fields formerly depending on natural fibers or conventional rayon yarns, such as viscose or cellulose acetate, has continuously increased. Yarn composed of a synthetic linear polymer possesses numerous excellent properties among which high tenacity, resistance to abrasion and uniformity are especially important. Nevertheless such yarn is apt to be regarded, in the case of some end uses, as inadequate or incapable of improvement in respect of a quality known as handle, feel, loftiness or fullness, a characteristic which is not easy to define because it is largely subjective and consequently a matter of personal opinion.

It is known to deform such fibrous materials, such as tows, slivers, rovings and the like, whereby crimps, i.e., deviations from the linearity of the fiber, are formed therein to provide for greater fiber-to-fiber cohesiveness which provides a low density, bulky or voluminous yarn per se. Cohesiveness among fibers is also highly desirable for it makes easier subsequent processing, e.g., staple processing, and provides greater yarn integrity. Bulky, voluminous yarn or yarn which has a built-in tendency to bulk is also highly desirable because it provides finished fabrics of much more pleasing hand and aesthetic properties. Moreover bulky yarns are desirable because they provide fabric or greatly improved cover.

A number of crimping techiques have been employed for texturizing yarns and they include a variety of ways such as gear crimping, stulfer box crimping, false twisting, jet bulking with aero stream, knit-de-knit, and the like. Despite these numerous crimping processes it is still difiicult to obtain quite the desired effect in the textured yarn. For not only must the yarn present the right appearance to the eye and possess the correct feel, but it is essential that it has the necessary mechanical properties as well. For example, a crimped yarn of suitable fullness and appearance may lose these qualities on being woven because the tension exerted in the loom may pull out the crimps. Hot wet treatment as, for instance, in dyeing is also liable to interfere with the physical nature of the yarn. Moreover, it has not been possible heretofore to provide crimp in fibrous material, which crimp is of the high degree of uniformity that is without skips. Skips are defined herein as positions along the length of the fibrous material which are not crimped or at least are not crimped to the same degree as are adjacent lengths of the fibrous material. Skips in a fiat, ribbon-like filamentary tow or bundle of continuous multifilaments result in crimp variations longitudinally and laterally of the ribbon, e.g., the ribbon edges may not be crimped at all, or one unit length of ribbon is crimped to a higher or lesser degree than are adjacent ribbon lengths. Such non-uniformity results in non-uniformity of cover in the case of finished fabrics, as well as causing problems in dyeing and finishing of the fabric.

It is accordingly one object of this invention to provide a synthetic fibrous product having high bulking properties; another object of this invention is to provide a method for producing a full or lofty synthetic linear polymer yarn, which depends on the intermittent separation of short lengths of individual filaments from the main strand of a multifilament yarn, the separated filaments being looped, curled, or convoluted so as to project from the main strand.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description which is considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an apparatus for increasing the bulkiness of a textured multifilament yarn;

FIG. 2 shows a lateral elevation of a portion of the crimping apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 3A shows the increase in bulkiness of a yarn which has been gear texturized and then subjected to the process of the subject invention;

FIG. 3B shows the increase in bulkiness of a yarn which has been knit-de-knit texturized and then subjected to the process of the subject invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view ofanother embodiment of the apparatus for increasing the bulkiness of a textured multifilament yarn.

Briefly this invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a highly bulked yarn which comprises the steps of running a multifilament textured yarn, consisting at least mainly of a synthetic linear polymer, between two surfaces, which are themselves in relative motion in the same direction as the running yarn, at least a component thereof being parallel to the axis of the running yarn; maintaining a tension on said yarn ranging from 0.01 to 0.10 gram per denier and under a pressure suificient to cause the two surfaces to bear resiliently upon the running yarn so as to effect intermittent separation of random short lengths of individual filaments from a main core of yarn whereby the separated filaments are looped, curled or convoluted so as to project from the said main core of yarn and receiving said textured multifilament yarn under a tension ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 gram/denier onto a suitable take-up device.

The term yarn is used to include filaments, tows, slivers, rovings, ribbons and the like.

The synthetic linear polymer of which the yarn is made may consist, for instance, wholly of polyhexamethylene adipamide, but other polymers may also be made from the material of the yarn, for instance, polyureas, polyurethanes, polyaminotriazoles, polyester, e.g.,

polyethylene glycol terephthalate, or the following polyamides, namely, polyhexamethylene sebacamide, polypentamethylene sebacamide, polytetramethylene adipamide, polyoctamethylene adipamide, polydecamethylene adipamide, and polycaprolactam. The yarn of the present invention may include other material besides synthetic linear polymers. For example, it may include fibers of wool, cotton, cellulose acetate, viscose or polyvinyl chloride.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a texturized multifilament yarn is forwarded from the supply package 12 in a substantially tensionless condition through a dephaser 14 and is then passed to a conventional wind-up come 16, such as a cone winder. The wind-up tension is regulated by the tension compensator 18.

The construction and arrangement of the dephaser 14 as shown in detail in FIG. 1 comprises two surfaces and 22 which bear resiliently upon the yarn being run therethrough. These two surfaces are in relative motion in the direction of the axis of the yarn with which they are in contact.

Experiment shows that the nature of the surface, by which is meant the degree of smoothness, hardness, and the coefficient of friction, has an important bearing upon the quality of the dephased yarn.

The material of surfaces 20 and 22 should be chosen so as to withstand abrasion as much as possible while gripping the filaments. Suitable materials are those such as glass, ceramica, vulcanite, alumina, titania, chromia, Carborundum, rubber, agate, stainless steel, and the like.

The shape of the surfaces may be flat or curved. They may consist of two flat plates, as it were, rubbing to and fro on either side of the yarn. The direction of rub may form an angle with the axis of the running yarn, provided there is, as already indicated, a, component of motion parallel to the axis of the yarn, nor need the surfaces be continuously in movement. Or else, in place of moving plates, two revolving discs might constitute the moving surfaces. It is preferred that one of the surfaces be a stationary flat plate 22 and that the other surface be a rotating roll 20. The preferred speed of the roll is from 1 to 3 times that of the yarn in the same direction as that in which the yarn is travelling. After passing through the dephasing apparatus 14, the yarn exhibits numerous small loops or curled filaments projecting from the main core. I have unexpectedly discovered that by running the yarn in the same direction as the roll is being rotated produces not only substantial increase in the bulkiness of the textured yarn but also does not cause excessive breakage in the continuous filaments.

The pressure exerted between the surfaces also needs to be carefully adjusted in order to prevent any breaking of the filaments and, as is shown in FIG. 2, can be applied by a lever arm 24 suitably attached to plate 22 which is pivoted on arm 26. Weights 28, indicators of the pressure applied to yarn 10, are attached to lever arm 24 through aperture located therein. It is to be understood that other means such as hydraulic pressure means, as well as springs capable of being adjusted to indicate the pressure on yarn 10 may be employed to provide positive pressure to either or both surfaces 22 and 20 to cause them to bear resiliently upon the yarn 10 passing therethrough. A guide means 34 is employed for directing yarn 10 through the dephasing apparatus 14. It has been found that good results are obtained over a fairly wide range of pressures which depends to a great deal on the texture of the surfaces.

In order to obtain the maximum dephasing of the textured yarn it is important that the tension on yarn 10 in winding around cone 16 be maintained within the range of from 0.01 to 0.10 gram per denier and preferably from 0.03 to 0.05 gram per denier. By maintaining the tension in this range during the windup of the dephased yarn onto cone 16, the looping of the filaments around the main core of the yarn is greatly enhanced.

FIG. 4 describes another embodiment of this inven tion wherein a textured yarn 36 is forwarded from the supply package 32 through an overfeed mechanism which comprises two relatively small diameter rolls 48 and 50. The yarn 36 is fed between the rolls 48 and 50 both of which are driven by means not shown. Generally, any suitable combination of rolls and driving mechanisms may be utilized to provide the overfeed. The overfeed is accomplished by increasing the speed of the yarn as it leaves the rolls 48 and 50 and then overfeeding it to the dephasing assembly 40 which comprises a rotating stainless steel roll 41, which is provided with a chrome-plated matte finish and a stationary aluminum oxide plate 43. After leaving the dephasing assembly, the yarn 36 passes over a sizing roll 42 which applies a suitable sizing agent contained in receptacle 47 to the yarn. A tension regulator 45 maintains the yarn within the same limits as described hereinabove as it is conveyed onto take-up cone 46.

The following examples are intended to illustrate but not limit the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 A knit-de-knit texturized 34 filament yarn 15 (FIG. 3B) comprising polyethylene glycol terephthalate (polyester) having a denier of was forwarded at the rate of yards per minute from supply package 12 under a tension of 0.03 gram/ denier between a stainless steel roll, provided with a chrome-plated matte finish and rotating at the rate of 1700 r.p.m., the direction of rotation being the same as the running yarn, and a stationary aluminum oxide plate. The plate pressure was 100 grams. The dephased yarn was wound onto cone 16 under a tension of 0.04 gram/denier.

The resulting yarn has a pleasant full hand and can be woven or knitted into soft warm material.

When the wind-up tension was increased to 0.2 gram/ denier, the yarn curled and did not present a full hand.

EXAMPLE 2 A gear crimped texturized 34-filament ISO-denier polytetramethylene adipamide (nylon 66) yarn 19 (FIG. 3A) having a saw tooth configuration is forwarded at the rate of 200 yards per minute from supply package 12 under a tension of 0.05 grams per denier between a stainless steel flat shaped plate provided with a titania-plated matte finish and a second stainless steel flat shaped plate provided also with a titania-plated matte finish wherein said second surface is reciprocating at the rate of 60 cycles per second with the direction of rotation being the same as the running yarn. The pressure between the plates is 35 grams. The dephased yarn is wound onto cone 16 under a tension of 0.05 gram per denier.

The resulting yarn has a pleasant full hand and can be woven or knitted into soft warm material.

EXAMPLE 3 A gear crimped (FIG. 3A) 234-filament cellulose acetate having at least 92% of its hydroxy groups acetylated (cellulose triacetate) ZOO-denier fiber is forwarded at the rate of 170 yards per minute from supply package 12 under a tension of 0.04 gram per denier between a stainless steel roll provided with a polyurethane matte finish and rotating at the rate of 1700 rpm. with the direction of rotation being the same as the running yarn and a stationary polyurethane plate. The pressure on the yarn is maintained at 20 grams and the dephased yarn is wound onto cone 16 under a tension of 0.03 gram per denier.

The resulting yarn possesses a pleasant full hand and can be woven or knitted into soft warm material.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for dephasing a multifilament single end crimped yarn to produce a yarn which can be Woven or knitted into fabric having improved surface characteristics, said method comprising running said yarn between a plate and a roll which is rotating in the same direction as the yarn is moving at a speed of about 1 to 3 times the speed of said yarn, said plate and said roll exerting a pressure on the yarn Which is substantially constant regardless of variations in yarn thickness so as to effect intermittent separations of random short lengths of individual filaments from the main core of yarn whereby the separated filaments are looped, curled or convoluted so as to project from the said main core of yarn, and winding said yarn onto a suitable take-up device under a tension of from 15 0.01 to 0.10 gram per denier.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said yarn is maintained under a tension of from 0.01 to 0.10 gram per denier as it is run between said plate and said roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,255,506 6/1966 Fritz 281 3,375,559 4/1968 Moyer et a1. 281 3,426,407 2/1969 Constantine 281.5

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 28-72.l 

